Cristiano Ronaldo and Gonzalo Higuain scored as Real Madrid beat Racing Santander 2-0 Sunday to ensure it stayed tied with Barcelona at the top of the Spanish league ahead of their match next weekend. Ronaldo scored from the penalty spot in the 23rd minute, firing his 18th goal of the season past Fabio Coltorti after being tripped as he broke into the area. Jose Maria “Guti” Gutierrez sent Higuain clear on Coltorti in the 76th minute for the Argentina striker to score his 24th of the season. Madrid and Barcelona both have 77 points but Madrid is ahead on goal difference heading into Saturday's game between Spain's two biggest clubs at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium. Earlier, David Villa's two late goals helped Valencia beat Osasuna 3-0 and kept his club clear in third. Valencia, which has 56 points with eight games left, is the only team with a mathematical chance of catching Barcelona and Real Madrid to win the league. With fifth-placed Real Mallorca falling eight points behind after a 1-1 draw at Almeria, Valencia, in third, now looks odds-on to net one of the four Champions League spots. Atletico beat Deportivo La Coruna 3-0 at home on Sunday to move five points off the top six. Valladolid's relegation worries continued following a 2-0 defeat to Villarreal, while last-place Xerez maintained its hopes of staying up with a 2-2 draw at Sporting Gijon. Also, Pablo Osvaldo canceled out Manu Del Moral's 28th-minute opener with a looping shot in the 50th as Espanyol rallied to draw 1-1 at Getafe. Zaragoza beat Malaga 2-0 Saturday. West Ham draws with Everton Ilan scored a late equalizer as relegation-threatened West Ham ended its six-game losing run with a 2-2 draw at Everton Sunday while Liverpool was held 1-1 by Birmingham to lose ground in the race for fourth. West Ham, which missed a penalty, looked to be heading for another defeat when Ayegbeni Yakubu headed Everton 2-1 ahead in the 85th minute. But Brazilian striker Ilan headed the leveler as West Ham moved a point clear of the relegation zone. Steven Gerrard fired Liverpool ahead at Birmingham but Liam Ridgewell replied for the home side, leaving Rafa Benitez's team four points behind fourth-place Manchester City having played a game more. Fulham beat Wigan 2
